Diagnosis of acute Pulmonary Embolism

During the last three decades, considerable advances in the management of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) have improved diagnostic accuracy and made management algorithms safer, easier to use and well standardized. These diagnostic algorithms are mainly based on the assessment of clinical pretest probability, D-Dimer measurement and imaging tests, mainly computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). These diagnostic algorithms allow a safe and cost-effective diagnosis for most patients with suspected PE. In this review, we discuss current existing evidence for PE diagnosis, the challenge of diagnosing PE in special patient populations, as well as novel imaging tests for PE diagnosis.